Tire-rack for automobiles.



TIRE RACK FOR AUTOMOBILES APPLICAUON FILED' MAR. is. less Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l L. A.y NARES.

TIRE RACK FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION man ma. 1a, 1.915.

Patented Aug-17, 1915.

salaires Parana crearon TIRE-RACK 'FOR ATOMOBILES.

Spccieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Angl?, i915.

Application filed March 18, 1915. Serial No. 15,246.

T0 all 'whom t may Concern Be it known that l, LLEwnLYN A. Nanne,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented a new and improved Tire-Rack for Automobiles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a rack applied to an automobile body for the purpose of carrying extra tires. n

The invention hasfor its general objects to improve and simplify the construction of automobile racks so as to be reliable and eliicient in use, comparatively simple and 1n expensive to manufacture and so-designed that the tires can be easily and quickly locked or unlocked.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rack for supporting one or more tires, the rack embodying a plurality of gripping members simultaneously engageable with .or disengageable fromthe tires by means of novelly arranged links which serve to lock the tire-engaging arms in tire-holding position.

. With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of constriiction and arrangement of parts which will -be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto. I

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the` views, Figure 1 is an elevation of the rack showing the parts of the rack in tireholding position; Fig. 2 is a side vier of Fig.v l; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, with the tire-engaging. members in locked position; Fig. 4 is a similar view with the said members in unlocked position; and Fig. 5 is an edge view showing the tires locked in the rack.

Referring to theA drawings, A designates thcbasc ring olf the rack, which is fastened rigidly to the vehicle body by any ,suitable means, such as upper and lower cross bars l and 2, to which the ring is bolted or otherwise fastened, and the ends 3 of these rods are secured to suitable brackets B on the vehicle body, as shown in Fig. 5. Extending horizontally from and rigidly secured to the top of the ring A is a xed arm 4; which sutains the weight of the extra tire or tires, and cooperating with this arm are several locking arms 5 which extend within and engage the tires at a plurality of points. In the present instance three of these nrovable arms 5 are employed, there being two side movable arms and a bottom movable arm. These movable arms, which are'hinged at 5 on the ring A, have adjustable leather-faced seat elements 6 so shaped as to engage the rims of the demountable tires. Each seat comprises a metal strip having its ends 7 bent upwardly so as to. engage the edges lor the tire rim and prevent displacement of the latter in the rack. The side arms 5 are locked in tire-holding position by a pair of toggle links 8 and 9, which are hingedly connected at 10 by a bolt or equivalent means. These lengths are of such vlength that when they are in alinement the side arms will be parallel or in tire-holding position, but by throwing the links 8 and 9 inwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, the side arms 5 are drawn toward each other, thereby to release the tires.

To conveniently operate the toggle links the link S has an odset portion forming the grip 11 which lies above the plane of the link 9, the latter link being slotted to accommodate the inner end of the link 8, and also to permit a lug l2 to project through the link 9, andto this lug is applied a padlock 13 whereby the rack cannot be opened except by an authorized person. A link 14 is connected with the lower' arm 5 and alsov with the toggle links to cause the lower arm to move inwardly or outwardly with the corresponding'movement or' the side arms 5. A hinge joint 15 connects the link 1l with the lower arm 5, while a ball and socket joint 16 connects the upper or inner end of the link 14 with the link 9. Since the toggle links nieve in a horizontal plane the upper end of the link 9 moves also in a horizontal plane, and consequently the lower end of the link 14; moves upwardly and therebyl swings the lower arm 5 inwardly to release the tires. When the links are in locking position the tirefholding members 5 obviously cannot be moved inwardly out of engagement with the tires, the result being that the tires are locked in the rack and cannot be removed until the links arethrown from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown'in Fig. 1-. j

tires it is merely'nccessary to grip the han" To lock and unlock faire,

dle 1l and throw the sameiinwardly or `outwardlyjor in a direction from or toward the base -ring A.

i "l From the foregoing description taken in connection withv the 'accompanying draw, fing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof,l I desire to have it understood that vthe device shown is V merely illustrative .and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A tire-holding rack comprising a base ring, a fixed arm on the top of the ring and projecting laterally therefrom, three arms hinged on the ring and circumferntially disposed one from another approximately ninety degrees, tire-engaging means on all the arms, and connecting means between the hinged arms for simultaneously moving all of them outwardly into tire-engaging position, or inwardly into tire-releasing position.

2. A tire-carrying rack comprisin a base element, means thereon for suspen ing the weight of the tire or tires to be carried, a pair of diametrically disposed tire-engaging arms movably mounted on the base element, a pair of toggle links connected' with the arms, one of the links being slotted and the 4risogeee other link having an extremity extending through the slot from one side, a lock attached to the extremity at the side of the slotted link opposite from the side from which the said extremity enters the slot for preventing collapsing of the toggle links,V

out of tire-engaging position simultaneously with the other elements.

4. A tire rack for automobiles comprising a supporting structure, three tire-engaging arms hingedly mounted on the structure, links hingedly connected with the outer ends of the arms, a pivot connecting two of the links together, a ball and socket joint between the third link and one of the other links, and locking means for holding the. links in a position with the arms engaged with the tires. f In testimony whereof l have signedy my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LLEWELYN ARTHUR NARES. Witnesses:

JOHN T. LEE,

L. MoNTAGUn DREW. 

